Author Brad Meltzer: Bush 41 Helped With New Book

Author Brad Meltzer's new book was released this week.

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By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Presidential tradition dictates that an outgoing Commander-in-Chief leaves a letter for the incoming president, and the letter remains confidential between these leaders. But political author Brad Meltzer revealed last night that during research for his latest book, he received a copy of the message George H.W. Bush wrote to Bill Clinton.

"He sent this letter to me and told me that no one had ever seen this before," Meltzer said during a discussion at the Union Square Barnes & Noble. "I love that he trusted me with it."

The Brooklyn native's latest conspiracy novel, "The Inner Circle," was released yesterday. It's the story of a political archivist discovering secret stories and documents in the White House and solving political mysteries.

His discussion Tuesday night didn't just focus on politics. Meltzer, who also hosts "Brad Meltzer's Decoded" on the History Channel, also discussed how he feels the Facebook phenomenon is changing our culture.

"With Facebook, you are immediately confronted with your past," Meltzer said. "It's like someone is confronted with their own history and it makes you ask that question, which to me is the whole question of what the book is, is 'what has your life become?' I'm fascinated with that."

To answer that question, Meltzer said that even with all of his recognition he's had for his books and TV show, he has a different way of measuring success.

"No one is known in life for the famous things that they did," Meltzer said. "Thomas Jefferson never took credit for writing [The Declaration of Independence] while he was alive. IT wasn't until people read his obituary that they knew he was the author. That kind of humility, I think, is what makes a person. That is how I think you know when you have made it."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Author Rachel Machacek Hopes to Turn New Book Into a Movie

Rachel Machacek reads an excerpt from her new book.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Author Rachel Machacek released her tome, "The Science of Single: One Woman's Grand Experiment in Modern Dating, Creating Chemistry, and Finding Love," this week and revealed last night that she is open to turning it into a movie.

"I have a friend in Los Angeles who is bugging me to turn this into a screen play," Machacek said last night at the Borders in Murray Hill. "I don't have any immediate plans, but I'd like to."

The book chronicles her dating experiences over a year and says she went on approximately 150 dates with around 60 different men during that time.

Machacek, 37, said her original idea for the book was to tell stories from dates where she implemented tips from romance self-help books, but her plans changed.

"I decided that was too boring," Machacek said. "Instead I decided to write about the science of the dating process" -- and this is where she got the title of her book.

Machacek lives in Washington D.C., a place she considers a "serious city," and says this doesn't make dating for an introvert easy. Because of this, she turned to technology, including online dating. She now says it's one of her preferred dating methods.

"It's the easiest way," Machacek said. "You just go online, click on people, put them in your shopping cart, you wink at them, or you hotlist them, or you flag them. It's just easy."


This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Former White Zombie Bassist Sean Yseult: "I Just Started a New Band"

Sean Yseult speaking at the Tribeca Barnes & Noble.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Sean Yseult, the former bassist for the 90’s heavy-metal band White Zombie, revealed last night that she is returning to music, but this time with another group.

“I just started a new band, with some very good friends, called Star and Dagger,” Yseult said last night. “It’s kind of been dubbed Anita Pallenberg fronting Black Sabbath. It’s heavy with these very beautiful vocals.”

Instead of touring with a band right now, Yseult is out promoting her book “I’m in the Band: Backstage Notes From the Chick in White Zombie.” While at the Tribeca Barnes & Noble last night, Yseult said that going through her old boxes of band and touring memorabilia a few years ago is what prompted her to put together the book.

“The photo albums I had were filled with backstage parties and the tour diaries I kept were the biggest surprise,” Yseult said. “These were written diligently each night before I fell asleep, even though half the time I was half-past drunk.

The book is a compilation of photos and ticket stubs, as well as anecdotes from her years with the band.

“Most of the things I do remember play back like a movie in my head,” Yseult said. “Like riding in the Ramones van from gig to gig while we were on tour together or getting busted in a New Orleans graveyard with Lux [Interior] and [Poison] Ivy of The Cramps.”

With all the musicians she’s worked (and partied) with, she says without a doubt her favorite is Pantera.

“Those guys were like my big brothers,” Yseult said. While you’re on stage, just constant pranks and offstage too. They made passing 23 hours a day [on tour] an art form.”

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

"West Side Story" Lyricist Stephen Sondheim Reveals His Showbiz Regret

The talented lyricist, Stephen Sondheim.

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By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
"West Side Story" and "Sweeney Todd" lyricist Stephen Sondheim confessed there is one musical he regrets not having a role in during his distinguished career.

Promoting his new tome "Finishing the Hat" at Barnes and Noble in Union Square last night, Sondheim said he wished he could have worked on the 1961 Broadway production "Carnival" starring Anna Marie Alberghetti.

"That is a show that really resonates with me," he said to the audience, "and I wish I could've had my hands on it."

The acclaimed 80-year-old lyricist also discussed his great mentors, such as iconic playwright Oscar Hammerstein II, and pointed out that his new book reveals some never-before-seen lyrics.

"I wanted to tell people my opinions on lyric writing and that's where this book came from," he said.

The hardest part of penning lyrics, he said, is encapsulating a sentiment in a concise way.

"When you're dealing with lyrics, less is more," Sondheim said. "I like to tell stories with my lyrics and you only have a short piece to do it with so you can't waste words."

He added, "One of the things people have a hard time with when writing lyrics is they repeat the same thought or concept instead of adding something new."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Portia De Rossi: My Secrets Made Me Sick

Portia de Rossi speaks about her book "Unbearable Lightness."

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Starlet Portia de Rossi said the burden of keeping her emotions bottled up and her eating disorder hidden made her ill.

"It's a classic, stupid thing to say, but the secrets make you sick," de Rossi said. "I had to come out as having eating disorders and only by doing that could I really, truly say that I'm fully recovered."

De Rossi, 37, promoting her memoir at an Upper East Side Barnes and Noble over the weekend, said she battled anorexia from the start of her career as a model at age 12 until the time she played Nell Porter on "Ally McBeal" in 1998.

"I became aware, by the end of the book, that while I was really talking about wasn't my eating disorder and it wasn't my sexuality, it was this struggle for self acceptance and to be able to just feel comfortable in my own skin," de Rossi said of her tome "Unbearable Lightness."

De Rossi, who came out in 2005, has credited wife Ellen DeGeneres with helping her come to terms with her identity and said Friday night she found writing the book to be cathartic.

"It sounds very selfish in a way, but I really wrote this book for myself," de Rossi said. "I wrote it for my teenage self. I wrote it thinking that it was the book I wished I could've had access to when I was suffering so deeply from the disorder and struggling with my sexuality."

She added, "When I first realized that what I was writing was going to be called a memoir, I thought, I'm only 37. It just sounded so grandiose ... Then I thought, I'm not going to write about the event that happened in my life, I'm going to talk about the events that happened in my head."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Famed Playwright Neil LaBute Battles Stage Fright

Playwright Neil LaBute spoke at Powerhouse Arena in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

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By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
"In the Company of Men" playwright Neil LaBute said he felt on edge about the Thursday night debut of his latest show starring David Duchovny and Amanda Peet.

"It is an exciting and horrifying thing," the famed scribe known for his dark and comedic explorations of morality told an intimate crowd at the Powerhouse Arena in Dumbo last night about the debut of his latest work, "The Break of Noon."

LaBute, whose "Reasons to be Pretty" was nominated for a Tony in 2009, read from the new work, which chronicles the life of an employee who claims to see the face of God following the worst office shooting in America. LaBute also read from past work and shared a short story he wrote just that morning for the event.

"I'm happy I still have a pleasure for writing," LaBute said. "I sit down and write things because I like it, not because it's for anything, but because it's a pleasure to do it."

LaBute also revealed why he tends to weave in corporate culture into his work. He said his fascination with business jargon developed when he worked for a software company while studying at NYU.

"I loved the sound of the foreign language that I didn't understand in the offices," LeBute said. "Nobody ever seemed to really be doing anything but would say, 'I have this meeting and I have to file a 507 later today.' I loved the banter and I've put that into the world of the offices I write about."

"The Break of Noon" is debuting at the MCC Theater in Manhattan tonight.

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Russell Brand: "I Am Excited About Getting Married"

Katy Perry and Russell Brand are expected to wed soon.

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By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

British comic Russell Brand said he was thrilled about his upcoming nuptials to pop starlet Katy Perry.

"I will say I am excited about getting married," Brand said Wednesday night at Barnes and Noble in Manhattan while promoting his new book "Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal."

"It's a lovely thing to get married. I think it's a peaceful thing and I'm very happy about it."

The couple got engaged last year, but Brand remained mum on the details and did not reveal a specific date or place for the wedding.

In lieu of a traditional reading, Brand interacted with the wall-to-wall crowd -- answering their questions and telling jokes. He humorously informed fans "that man on Facebook is not me."

While Brand's fiance is busy with her concert tour, the "Get Him to the Greek" star started a weekly radio show on the UK station talkSPORT earlier this month, which follows him on his book tour for the next 20 weeks.

Brand also revealed last night that before too long he will have another radio show to tune into -- this time it will be in the states.

"There will soon be a new radio show on Sirius," Brand said. "Look out for that."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

"Girls to the Front" Author Sara Marcus Pushes Punk Rock and Lady Gaga

Sara Marcus at her book launch party in Williamsburg.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
It is possible to be a fan of both subversive punk rock and pop music's biggest current star? Author Sara Marcus thinks so. She recently wrote "Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution," the first book to document the history of the underground, feminist, punk music movement of the 1990s. Turns out, though, she now also admires Lady Gaga.

"I have to say, even though I'm not a fan at all of Lady Gaga's music, I really have a lot of respect for the way that she's using her celebrity as a platform to be a beacon of hope to the freaks and the misfits among today's teens and adolescents," Marcus said. "You don't see very many mainstream artists speaking specifically to those kids the way that she does."

Marcus celebrated the release of her book Saturday night at the Williamsburg venue and bar, Bruar Falls.

Growing up in the midst of this feminist punk scene inspired Marcus to write the book. Having the support of Riot Grrrl superstar and former Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna (who is married to Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz) sure didn't hurt, either. 

"[Hanna] told me that she was really glad I was the one doing this," Marcus said. "So that was really helpful and really encouraging."

Marcus also said that while thousands of scholarly papers have been written about this generation of underground music, she wanted to be the first to write a narrative book about it, in order to make sure everything was captured correctly.

"It just seemed like if I didn't write it based on the experiences of me and the people that I knew, someone else was going to write the book," Marcus said. "And they would write it about this distorted idea and the real power of [the movement] was going to be lost."

While she had an array of legendary sources for her book, Marcus says her favorite was a woman connected to and a big fan of the Riot Grrrl scene, but whose name was never in the headlines. 

"Mary Margaret is in the book from the beginning right through the very end," Marcus said. "She let me into her life in this profound way that it influenced the way that I approached the book. She instilled me with this great sense of awe and humility and the responsibility I had to honor the lives and experiences of everyone in the book. It really set the tone for everything."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Author Don LePan Says an "Ethical Impairment" Inspired His Novel

Don LePan during his reading at KGB Bar in the East Village.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Author Don LePan, reading excerpts from his latest fiction work at KGB Bar in the East Village over the weekend, said the inspiration from his tome came from a passion to stop factory farming.

"It was an ethical impairment, really," LePan told NiteSide. 

"I'd been really upset about factory farming and I thought surely I can write something to make some kind of contribution to the effort to stop factory farming. The moment I had that thought, within 30 seconds, the story line for it came together in my mind."

LePan read from his book "Animals" Sunday night at the venerated watering hole, which hosts Sunday Night Fiction where emerging writers come to reveal their work. Though the scribe said he felt reaction to the book has been positive, he hopes to reach more people. 

"I only feel it would be a success if the numbers (of people reached) were far, far larger," LePan said. "'Black Beauty' had a huge impact on the treatment of horses in the Western world and it would be great to have an impact like that."

While he does feel passionate about the issues he addresses in this book, LePan is shifting gears for his next novel, entitled "1940."

"It is a romance novel based on my parents situation," LePan said. "Its' a very different sort of novel."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Author Matthew Pitt: "It's Like I Make a Mold and Then Immediately Break It"

Matthew Pitt at his book reading at KGB Bar.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

Author Matthew Pitt moved from New York City three years ago but returned last night to read an excerpt from his book at the KGB Bar in the East Village. He told NiteSide last night that the greatest challenge he faced in putting together his new book was his own style of writing. 

"I tend to put myself in a corner because the stories never seem the same from one to the next, so they're often wildly different in subject matter, tone and the type of character that I'm investing into that particular story," Pitt said. "It's like I make a mold and then immediately break it, which is exciting for me. I like that restlessness."

"Attention Please Now" is a collection of stories, which Pitt said was a long time in the making. 

"It's been ten years since I wrote the first story," Pitt said. "But after doing ten drafts or so, I got to a point where I was proud of it."

While he says the plots of his stories don't have a common theme, his characters do have one thing in common.

"They're all living a moment where they look around and they're on a high wire and there's no net beneath them," Pitt said. "They're at that point in their live where they have to decide, 'am I going to make it all the way across or am I going to jump or what's going to happen?' It kind of captures them at moments of crisis."

Pitt said he draws off his theater background to create characters but sometimes wishes he could draw off his own adventures. 

"I am really envious of friends that can take pieces from their own experiences and craft them into stories," Pitt said. "I am not able to plagiarize my own life."

Author Behind New Robert Pattinson Flick Says She Was Stunned by Set

Sara Gruen signed books after her reading at Barnes and Noble in Union Square.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
The animal-loving author behind the film "Water for Elephants" starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson said being on set of the silver-screen adaptation of her book was surreal. 

"When we came down off the hill and looked onto the set, it took my breath away," New York Times bestselling author Sara Gruen said during a reading at Barnes & Noble last night. "Five years ago it was in my head, and now it is real."

Gruen, reading from her latest tome, "Ape House,"said she and some family members have cameo roles in the film, which is due out next Spring. The idea for the second tome came while she was preparing to go on tour for her first book. 

She was fascinated by communicating with chimps "in our language or in theirs" and eventually joined forces with the Great Ape Trust to interact with bonobo apes in Iowa, she said. 

"I brought (the apes) fleece blanket, Mr. Potato Head, Slinkie's, Rubik's Cubes and anything I thought they would like," Gruen said. "But I think the key is M&M's. They love M&M's."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Jonathan Franzen: Being Named Great American Novelist Felt "Validating"

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Author Jonathan Franzen, lavished with praise for his most recent tome "Freedom," revealed last night why he wasn't surprised when Time magazine named him the Great American Novelist last month.

"I sat with the photographer three weeks earlier so it was not a total shock," Franzen said Wednesday night during a reading at Barnes and Noble in Union Square, "but it was validating and nice to hear."

Franzen's latest work is his fourth full-length novel and follows the path of a couple from their first meeting through their marriage and their reflections on family.

"I really have no opinions about the American family," Franzen said. "I only know one and that's filtered through an emotional underworld. I'm dubious on even my reliability on my expertise with my own family. But I do know there will always be parents. There may not always be siblings, but there will always be kids and parents."

The author's last novel -- "The Corrections" -- was selected by Oprah for her Book Club but was later dropped when Franzen said he thought the talk show queen's seal on his work would turn off men. He declined to comment about whether he's spoken to Oprah since the 2001 incident.

After a book tour, Franzen says he will be taking some time before penning his next novel.

"It takes me a long time to write a book because I need to feel like I have something new to say," Franzen said.

After the book tour, Franzen said he may do more reporting on wildlife akin to the piece he wrote in July for The New Yorker about the savage hunting of birds.

"I was literally stepping out of my novelist practice and into being a journalist," Franzen said. "It's a big problem to get people interested in our environment, but that's as far as I'm going to step out of being a novelist for now."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Author Taylor Plimpton Details Nightlife Dalliances in New Tome

Author Taylor Plimpton at McNally Jackson Bookstore

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER
Author Taylor Plimpton, son of former renowned Paris Review editor George Plimpton, detailed on Monday his dilliances in New York nightlife, stories that are chronicled in his new tome.

The 33-year-old, who spent long nights in Manhattan clubs to research his book, discussed his zest for nightlife and read from his part-memoir, part-guidebook "Notes From the Night: A Life After Dark" -- his first tome -- Monday night at McNally Jackson Bookstore in SoHo.

"When I go out I feel that excitement in the pit of my stomach and that hint of possibility of what the night holds," Plimpton said last night. "When I go out I don't want to go home. If I'm out, I want to see the whole night through until dawn when there's nothing left to find."

"I really like to get every last bit of it."

Plimpton, whose father was considered a literary tour de force, said it took him six years to research and write his book, during which time he would venture into clubs to observe people and document the scene. Citing Avenue as one of his favorite hot spots, Plimpton said the club scene is a tough industry to crack.

"Generally, it's a vicious circle," he said. "Either you know someone at the door or you don't -- and if you don't, you're out of that loop. And sometimes they'll say you need girls to get in, but we need to get in to get girls so it's a circle."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Author Martin Amis: Sex Scene in Latest Work Was Easiest to Write

British author Martin Amis signed books after his talk at Barnes and Noble.

Photo by: Brooke Niemeyer

By: BROOKE NIEMEYER

British author Martin Amis spoke about his experiences in penning the scandalous sexual scenes in his latest novel "The Pregnant Widow" last night during a rare reading by the venerated scribe in Union Square.

"The climactic sexual scene in this book is pornographic in nature and that was the easiest part to write about because emotion is divorced from it," Amis told a crowd at Barnes and Noble Wednesday night.

Amis describes "The Pregnant Widow" as a story about a man in his early 20s overcoming "the sexual revolution." The semi-autobiographical novel was originally due out in 2008, but underwent a series of edits and alterations delaying its release date until this year.

"There has to come a point where you say, 'I'm not going to speculate about what 20-year-olds think about sex' because it's just not right," Amis said.

Amis said he reads books by authors of his same age, his father's age, or a generation behind his father.

"Reading the latest contemporary writers who are 24 is nothing I want to do," Amis said. "They don't have a large enough repertoire of work yet."

"The Pregnant Widow" is Amis' 14th book, but he said he still faces a firing squad of critics.

"In America, you're only as good as your last novel or your last picture, that's the motto," Amis said. "But in England, you're not even that good."

Amis also had some advice for those considering writing a book.

"If you are thinking of writing your first novel, I have a rule to cheer you up," Amis said. "Remember that your first novel won't be perfect. You need to forget about perfection and you need to trust your own voice."

This story ran on NBCNewYork.com's NiteSide.

Personal Note: Martin Amis said something I really liked, but that didn't really fit in my story, so I'm including it here: "Writers die twice. They have the death of their talent followed by the death of the body."